Mailing device



'c. E. M CORMICK IAILING DEVICE May 19, 1925.

= c. E. M CORMICK MAILING DEVICE Filed July 27, 1925 May 19, 1925.1,538,712 I.

' C. E. M CORMICK MAILING- DEVICE Filed July 27. 1923 s Sh etsLSheet sCZMCb/igi/U INVENTOR will Patented May 19, 1925.

CHARLES E. MCCORMICK, OF BRINCET'ON, INDIANA.

MAILING DEVICE.

Application filed July 27, 1923. Serial No. 654,208.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. MoGon- MICK, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Princeton, in the county of Gibson and State ofIndiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mailing Devices,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device or apparatus particularly designed tofacilitate the mailing of circulars, circular letters or analogous mailmatter, and an object of the invention is to provide a simple apparatuswhich may be manufactured at a comparatively low cost and by means ofwhich mail matter may be folded, envelopes stuffed, sealed and stampedin a quick manner and with a minimum amount of manual labor.

Another object of this invention is to provide a mailing device which isconstruct ed and arranged so as to permit the obtaining of the mostpronounced results with the least number of motions of the hands of theuser.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device as specified,which embodies a table frame which may be clamped to any suitable typeof mailing or oflice table and which forms a detachable support for themain body of the mailing device, e1nbodying suitable means forsupporting the main body in folding position and in inserting, stampingand sealing position.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in a mailing device acombined folder, assembler, envelope stulfer, sealer and stamper whichis arranged to facilitate the manual work in performing these operationsand permit the hand and arm motions to be so systematized as to giveremarkable speed with minimum exertion of manual effort, and also toprovide a device as specified which does not include any mechanism whichwould get out of order during continuous use and to provide a devicewhich is especially adapted for circular and letter mailing that doesnot warrant the relatively expensive mailing machinery or automaticmailing machinery of approved types now on the market.

Other objects of the invention will appear in the following detaileddescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings whereinFig. 1 is a perspective view of the improved mailing device showing itin folding position.

Fig. 2 is a perspectiveview of the improved mailing device showing it inenvelope stuffing, stamping and sealing position.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the device showing it in foldingposition.

Fig. l. is a vertical section through a sup ply table used in connectionwith the device.

Fig. 5 is a detail vertical section through an assembling rack employedin the device.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of an improved form of creaser sometimesused in folding mail matter on the device when in folding position.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the improved mailing devicecomprises the main body structure 1 which includes a flat board 2. Asupporting board 3 is attached to one edge of the board 2 and extends atright angles thereto for supporting the board 2 in an inclined positionwhen the board 2 is used for the folding operation, and in positionasclearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings. The board 2 is heldagainst movement relative to the supporting table 5, by means of pins 6which engage in slots or notches 7 cut into the ends of the board 2adjacent to its edge remote from the angularly extending board 3. Thepins 6 are carried by the flat strip 8 of the table clamp structure 9,which flat strip is clamped upon the top of the table 5 and securelyheld in position thereon by means of any approved type of clamps 9. Theboard 2 has edging strips 10 and 11 at tached to one surface thereofalong its edge remote from the board 3 and the facing ends of the strips10 and 11 are spaced asclearly shown at 12 to permit the insertion ofthe finger ofthe operator therebetween to engage the sheets of paper orcirculars to be folded. The rightangularly extending edging strip 13 isattached to the board 2 at the outer end of the strip 11, and the strips10, 11 and 13 form suitable means for properly positioning the paper ormaterial to be folded.

A supply table 14 is provided, which is comparatively small relative tothe table 5 and rests upon the table 5. The supply table 14:, shown inthe drawings is provided with upper and lower supporting shelves 16 andwhile only two of such supporting shelves are shown in the drawings,itis to be understood that any desired number of shelves may be employedwithout departing from the spirit ofthis invention. The shelves 16 areadapted to support the circulars, or sheets of letters to be mailed andin case there are two sheets to be encloseda stack of one sheet maybeplaced on one of thepshelves anda stackof the second sheet on the othershelf so that they maybe easily and quickly taken. from the table 14cand placed on the folding, board'forfolding. It

is preferable to make. the shelves in staggered relation, that is oneslightly wider. than the one next thereabove.

In the folding operation, the sheets are placed upon the board 2withthelower left handcor'ners engaging. the strips 11 and 13 and they arefolded, in any approved manner or. system,.to the proper size to fit theenvelopesin which they are to be mailed.

It is to be understood that the motions required' for folding may bequickly studied outlso as to permit the proper folding with the leastnumber of movements. After the letters or circulars have been folded to.fit the envelope, they are placedin the receiving trough 17 which iscarriedby the right angularly extending board 3. When the trough 17 'isfilled, the"stack or bundle of foldedmail matter may be takentherefromand placed in theassembler structure 18' or on-the supply tableand afterall'or any desired number ofthe circulars 'or letters have 'been.folded, the board'l is disconnected from the. table clamp 9 and isturned over, with the-strips 10, 1'1 andlfSonthe under side of the boardand the right angularly extending board 3 projecting outwardly'from thelower edge ofthe board 2, as shown .in Fig. 21 0f the drawings. The,board2 is supported in this invertedposition 'bypins 1.9' which arein'turn. carried by the triangular shaped supporting blocks 20'on thetable .orfclamping frame 9., The board 3 comprises a trough or supporton which the envelopes to befilledare stacked andif it is.so: desired astack of'the folded matter to be mailed maybe placed on the board or'theindividual fo-ldedinatter may be taken one at atime from the assemblingrack 18 and stuffed or placed in the envelopes, after which the gummedportion ofthe sealing flap of the envelope is moistened upon themoistener 22.

The moistener 22 comprises a strip of wick or any suitable moistureabsorptive material and it is fastened to the. surfaceof the board-2bythumb tacks23 or any other suitable fasteningdevices *sothatifit isdesired it may be removed. It is desirable'to provide a suitablereceptacle 24 for water and a bruslix25by means of'which the strip22'may be moistened as desired during the sealing operation. Themoisture strip 22 also serves for moistening the stamps and it has beenfound practical to stamp the envelopes before they are filled.

InFig. 60f the drawings a creaser 26 is shown which is adapted tonormally rest in thetrough 27 carried by the board 3. The creaser 26comprises a relatively long body 28 which has a handle 29 centrallythereon to facilitate its use. The creaser is preferably to be used whena number of'folds'are to be broken at one time.

lVhile the rack 18 has heretofore been termed a storage rack, it is tobe understood that this rack may be used as an assembler or assemblingrack when preparing the subject matter to be mailed. It is only in rareinstances when circular mail matter consists of only one piece, as mostenvelopes carry a plurality of inserts or pieces of mail, and the rack18 serves admirably as an assembling rack permitting the placing of'thevarious circulars or pieces of mail matter in stacks upon each of theshelves of the rack so that one at a time may be taken from-the rack tofacilitate the proper assembling'of the matter in theenvelope.

No particular system or manner of fold ing, stufling and sealinghas'been described, as it is to bennderstood. that' the proper 95 stepsin the system may vary with-the different types of'mail matterto' bemailed, however, it will be apparent from the foregoing descriptiontakenin connection with themcompanying drawings that with the use or 100the improved mailing device heretofore describedzthe manual labornecessary forfolding and mailing matter may be reduced i a minimum andthe speed increased to a maximum and also that the. improvedde- 105 vicemay be manufactured at a relatively low cost.

It is, of course, ,to be understood that the invention may beconstructed in'other manners and the parts associated in dilferent boardalong. one edge and extending transversely to the body board, said bodyboard provided with notches extending inwardly from its end edges, pinscarried by said table frame for engagementin said notches, substantiallytriangular shaped supporting blocks carried by said table frame, pinscarried by said triangular supporting blocks, said body board providedwith-a second set of notches ada-pted'to engage over the pins carried bysaid triangular shaped supporting blocks for supporting the body boardin an envelope sealing posltion.

2. A mailing device comprising a table frame adapted to be clamped to atable, a body board, a plurality of edging strips carried by one face ofsaid body board, a supporting board attached to the body board along oneedge and extending transversely to the body board, said body boardprovided with notches extending inwardly from its end edges, pinscarried by said table frame for engagement in said notches,substantially triangular shaped supporting blocks carried by said tableframe, pins carried by said triangular supporting blocks, said bodyboard provided With a second set of notches adapted to engage over thepins carried by said triangular shaped supporting blocks for supportingthe body board in an envelope sealing position, and a moistener carriedby said body board.

3. In a mailing device the combination, of

a table frame adapted to be clamped to a table, a body board, aplurality of edging strips carried by one face of said body board, asupporting board attached to the body board'along one edge and extendingtransversely to the body board, said body board provided with notchesextending inwardly from its end edges, pins carried by said table framefor engagement in said notches, substantially triangular shapedsupporting blocks carried by said table frame, pins car ried by saidtriangular supporting blocks, said body board provided with a second setof notches adapted to engage over the pins carried by said triangularshaped supporting blocks for supporting the body board in an envelopesealing position, a moistener carried by said body board, an articlesupporting table, and an assembling rack for receiving the foldedarticles.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CHARLES E. MCCORMICK.

